HealthSouth Co-Founder Speaks at SU Monday, February 28

SALISBURY, MD---HealthSouth co-founder and first chief financial officer Aaron Beam had it all: millions of dollars in the bank and a high-ranking position at one of the nation’s most revered companies.

Then he went to prison.

Beam, who was charged with massive accounting fraud in 2003, served three months for his role in one of the biggest corporate frauds in recent history, falsely reporting grossly exaggerated company earnings to meet stockholder expectations.

On Monday, February 28, he shares his story and warns future business leaders about the pitfalls to watch out for in the corporate world as the next speaker in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business’ Executive Leadership Series at Salisbury University. Inaugurating the Perdue School’s Ethics Week, his talk, “HealthSouth: The Wagon to Disaster,” is 3:30 p.m. in Holloway Hall Auditorium. A reception follows in the Social Room.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in economics from Louisiana State University in 1967, Beam served in the U.S. Navy. In 1971, he began his professional career as controller for two small companies before earning his C.P.A. in 1978. Two years later, he joined Lifemark Corp., a New York Stock Exchange healthcare company, as division controller. In 1984, he and Richard Scrushy started HealthSouth, which grew to the 350th largest public company in the United States.

Today, Beam lives with his wife in Alabama and runs a lawn maintenance business.

Admission to his talk is free and the public is invited. The Executive Leadership Series is sponsored by Bay Bank. For more information call 410-548-5391 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.